


Sonic Forces: Redux

by PidgeonsonSynthesizers



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW Comics), Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Canon Rewrite, Gen, IDW characters will appear at some point, Imprisonment, Phantom Ruby, Screenplay/Script Format, Sonic Forces, Sonic Forces my brain to rewrite the entire script because there was so much untapped potential, infinite gets a better backstory, the story isn't bad necessarily but it could be better
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:28:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 5,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23977465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PidgeonsonSynthesizers/pseuds/PidgeonsonSynthesizers
Summary: War is a harrowing, terrible, violent thing. Taking over the planet and altering reality is a tough but rewarding journey for villains. Fighting for what you care for against odds that loom above you is the only option for civilians to stay both alive and free. The people are scared, the resistance barely holding on, and odds are never in the favor of those who oppose the empire or call themselves heroes.A rewrite of Sonic Forces that attempts to delve into the darker themes of war, gives Infinite a deeper backstory and fixes the portrayal of certain characters. (Also, sorry Classic Sonic fans, but he's not here anymore.)"They’ll know how it feels to lose everything even when they think they have nothing left to lose."
Relationships: Avatar | Custom Hero (Sonic Forces) & Infinite (Sonic the Hedgehog), Miles "Tails" Prower & Sonic the Hedgehog
Comments: 10
Kudos: 20





	1. 001- The Quickening of Evil

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't done this sort of thing before, but I wanted to try my hand at it. Every scene will be written in a script format, but there will be cases where I will have both a script and novelization format for any scenes that I write out further. They will be labeled accordingly.

[FADE IN]

_[The scene begins with Eggman walking across a platform in one of his many labs. The lab he walks through is filled with containment pods that light the area with their ominous glow. Each one has the remains of unknown experiments, each ignored by the doctor as he passes them. The camera trails through the pods following Eggman’s path before pausing on Cubot cleaning one of the pods- a brief glimpse of a mobian silhouette can be seen within. Eggman finally takes a moment to glance at this particular capsule and Cubot before he moves to a display that seems to show vitals of the figure trapped within.]_

Dr. Eggman: _[Pacing back and forth.]_ Sonic. How I hate that miserable blue rodent. Taunting me and ruining all of my plans! _[Eggman checks the display thoroughly as he continues to rant.]_ Well, not anymore. All of my loathing has been focused into this invincible instrument of destruction. Every defeat. Every humiliation at that hedgehog's hands will be returned a thousandfold by my unstoppable creation. _[Eggman walks away from the display and pushes Cubot out of the way to grin at his new project, the camera showing a clearer view of the mysterious figure inside. A black and white jackal with an intimidating mask floats within, the mobian’s one visible eye closed. A strange crystal- the phantom ruby- is embedded within the mobian’s chest.]_ This is my dream come true. With this invention, I can expand the Eggman Empire across the globe, and conquer the world! And Sonic and his little friends will be powerless to stop me! _[Eggman laughs evilly as he exits the scene, Orbot and Cubot’s heads peeking around the pods again before they turn to each other, unsettled from Eggman’s speech.]_

Orbot: The boss really means business this time!

Cubot: _[Nodding his head.]_ Mm hm.

_[The camera moves to the masked face of the jackal inside of the pod, zooming into the yellow eye as it opens and stares at the camera menacingly. The camera continues to zoom into the eye and through the pupil as the screen transitions to black.]_

[END SCENE]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any changes made will be stated here.
> 
> Changes (This scene was not changed much):  
> \- Eggman's speech is slightly longer.  
> \- Orbot and Cubot talk about Eggman after he leaves the lab.  
> \- Instead of ending abruptly after showing a relatively still shot of Infinite in the chamber, it zooms into his eye as it opens, turning the screen black as the pupil fills it to have a more dynamic transition to the next scene.


	2. 002- Lost Valley (Script Version)

_[The black screen of the previous scene slowly transitions to a shot of Lost Valley, a beautiful forested valley with a river flowing between the mountains. Directly in front of the camera, Sonic’s red sneakered feet kick up dust and are gone again in a flash. The camera begins to follow Sonic from the side now, where he is grinning as he runs through trees, boulders and cliff sides as if it were his own personal obstacle course. He whoops in joy while leaping and spindashing a hole through a giant boulder blocking the mountain pass before uncurling and posing midair, landing with a flourish on the other side and taking his iconic pose as rubble rains around him.]_

Sonic: Whoo! Aw yeah! No boulder can stop me! Cause I’m So-

_[Sonic’s victory exclamation is interrupted by a shrill, frantic noise. He jolts and reaches down into his sock to retrieve a communicator hidden within it, glancing at the screen with a bit of concern.]_

Sonic: That’s the emergency call sound… I hope Tails just needs a quick grab for a part he needs in the workshop or something…

_[Sonic taps the communicator to answer the call, jumping when Tails’ panicked voice bursts through the speaker.]_

Tails: Sonic! I need your help, right now!

Sonic: Tails? What’s wrong, buddy?

Tails: I flew out to Sunset City in order to get some new parts, but while I was here Eggman came down with a huge army of robots. I thought I might be able to fight them off while all of the people escape but there’s just too many of them for only me and a small town militia, and I told most of those capable of fighting to guard and evacuate all of the citizens.

_[Sonic’s expression darkens for a moment as he hears Tails’ panic and exhaustion through the communicator, clipping it around his wrist before exhaling and smirking again, positioning himself in the general direction of Sunset City.]_

Sonic: I gotcha, buddy. I’m on my way now. _[Sonic takes off, his surroundings becoming a blur as he speeds past them. Grunts and explosions come from Tails’ side of the call as he runs.]_ And Tails? Try not to bite off more than you can chew, okay? I’ll be there in about 40 seconds.

[ENTER TUTORIAL LEVEL STAGE- LOST VALLEY]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This scene is actually completely new, so there are not any changes to be noted. It can be noted, however, that this new scene contains some lines and information said during the stage that follows it.
> 
> Additions/Changes:  
> \- Lost Valley is now its own zone and is NOT Green Hill. We see Green Hill later, we don't need it now.  
> \- This new scene is to introduce a cutscene of Sonic being his fun-loving, cool guy self before everything goes horribly wrong as well as set up the next cutscene properly. Sonic may be a pop culture icon and is known by many, but I feel a scene that introduces him to the new generation again before he is beaten down would benefit this story in the long run- especially if they had truly expanded on how six months of imprisonment and implied torture changes him later on.  
> \- Tails expands on the situation more on the call than he does in the game. He can fend for himself and he has fought many enemies on his own, so I needed a reason for him to call Sonic where he couldn't resolve it himself at that exact moment.  
> \- The stage afterward begins with you smashing through obstacles on the road such as boulders before transitioning to enemy robots as you grow closer to the city, more and more enemies meaning that you're getting closer to your destination and making the level feel like you're truly going from peaceful valley to a city under attack.  
> \- Eggman's takeover hasn't truly happened yet, so it makes no sense to have such a drastic environmental change in an area such as Green Hill before Sonic is defeated and the resistance is diminished. The landscape is as healthy as ever here.


	3. 002-Lost Valley (Novelization Version)

It was a beautiful day that, on the surface, was like any other.

The sun was shining, the birds were singing, the sounds of nature and pounding feet on winding trails singing in Sonic’s ears, body tilted forward and grin widening as he sped through the Lost Valley. Plains and hills spread out alongside forest and sheer cliff tops that seemed to tower above him in the massive crevice of the valley as he came across the river that ran its course in the center rushing by in its constant current. He joyously whooped and cheered as he ran through cracks in cliffsides, flung himself around piney treelines, and barrelled through boulders in a naturally made obstacle course. He curled up and sped into and then through a boulder on the path with a spindash, unfurling with a whoop of excitement as he landed on the other side, rubble falling around him as he posed. 

"Whoo! Aw yeah!" he cheered with boundless energy before continuing, "No boulder can stop me! Cause I’m So-"

His victory cheers were cut off as his communicator within his sock began to play a tune that meant Tails was calling him- and judging by the specific sound playing that was set only for emergency calls, it was for something important.

That beautiful day was about to take an interesting turn.

Sonic stood in the middle of the road, taking the communicator out and tapping it to turn on the call with a slightly dimmer smile, hoping that Tails had just forgotten something important or needed help quickly to get a part of some machine he was building before something in the workshop exploded (again).

“Sonic! I need your help, right now!” Tails’ voice rang through the gentle air, panicked and out of breath. 

So much for hoping it was something small.

“Tails?” Sonic replied, a worried look on his face. “What’s wrong, buddy?”

“I flew out to Sunset City in order to get some new parts, but while I was here Eggman came down with a huge army of robots. I thought I might be able to fight them off while all of the people escape but there’s just too many of them for only me and a small town militia, and I told most of those capable of fighting to guard and evacuate all of the citizens.”

Sonic’s expression darkened into a more serious one at the idea of Tails possibly getting hurt before his signature smirk returned, knowing that if anyone can handle it, it would be Tails.

“I gotcha, buddy. I’m on my way now.” Sonic stated before taking off, increasing his speed as he faced the general direction he remembered Sunset City being from his spot in the Lost Valley. “And Tails?” He asked, hearing the grunts and explosions as Tails began fighting off robots again and Sonic pushed himself until he was just below breaking the sound barrier. “Try not to bite off more than you can chew, okay? I’ll be there in about 40 seconds.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the same as the script version, just written out as if it were a story instead. I won't be doing this for every scene, but there will be more of this format as well as the script format in the future.


	4. Stage Lines: Lost Valley (Sonic Tutorial Level)

Sonic: Man, what a beautiful day. Figures Eggman would crash the party.

Tails: The situation is not improving!

Sonic: I’m coming Tails! You’ll have backup soon enough!

Sonic: Can’t have another Eggman invasion without a crazy amount of badniks. At least they’re fun to smash, though.

Tails: We’re surrounded!  
Sonic: I’m almost there, bud!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to start adding the stage lines onto this rewrite on Ao3 along with the cutscenes. Here's the first of them.


	5. 003- A Hero Falls (Script Version)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone else forever frustrated with Tails in Forces? Me too. Let's fix that.
> 
> As always, endnotes show all changes or additions to the scene.

_[Transition to a shot of a burning city. Tails is seen standing protectively in front of a crowd of mobian civilians as they nervously look around. Robots surround them all, circling them in and leaving them no route to escape. Eggman comes in on his Eggmobile with a massive grin on his face, hovering above the scene menacingly.]_

Dr Eggman: Ohohohoho! My newest scheme has begun!

_[Tails glares at Eggman while shuffling to try and protect those around him to no avail, deciding his best option is to stall until Sonic gets there.]_

Tails: Are you going to elaborate on that or leave me in the dark here?

Dr Eggman: Hmph. I've learned my lesson on doing monologues for you vermin.

_[Tails scowls at Eggman more as he continues, trying to find a different way to stall, still unmoving from his defensive posture. Despite how tense he appears, he attempts to feign casualty and bravado with his voice.]_

Tails: So… Any reason you always attack the places Sonic or I happen to be on days where the weather is nice? It would be nice to have a day with sunny weather without the threat of laser beam showers.

Dr Eggman: Well, us villains like nice weather to accompany our plans too, Tails. Show a little more respect. _[Eggman gestures towards the robots surrounding him dramatically as they lift their weapons up before locking onto Tails and the civilians and charging with a threatening hum.]_

Tails: Oh come on Sonic... I could really use your help right now…

_[Tails’ namesakes twirl around in aggravation as he prepares for a losing battle, knowing that he’s already exhausted from fighting other robots and can’t save everyone at once. The weapons grow louder and appear to be ready to fire before the sound is interrupted by crashing metal and clanging parts. Sonic enters the scene in a blur, bouncing off of and destroying each robot surrounding them before uncurling to strike a pose next to Tails.]_

Sonic: You rang? 

Tails: Cutting it kind of close there, pal.

Sonic: Yeah, that's pretty much how I roll.

_[Civilians make a run for it behind the two as they pose now that the path is clear. Tails sighs in relief before giving Sonic’s arm a friendly nudge and snorting a small laugh at the pun and Sonic’s antics in general. They both move into a fighting position as Eggman still watches.]_

Dr Eggman: So the rat of the hour has finally arrived! _[Eggman smiles wider, seemingly unconcerned with his robots being destroyed. Sonic and Tails glance at each other in suspicion.]_ No matter, I have a surprise just for you, hedgehog! My new, ultimate weapon of destruction!

Sonic: Oh, goody. _[Sonic rolls his eyes.]_ And it isn’t even my birthday, Egghead.

Dr Eggman: Yes, but it is a cause for celebration.

_[A massive force slams into Sonic and Tails in a blur, sending them flying backwards into the ground. As the two begin to get up, villains from the past- Chaos, Metal Sonic, Shadow, and Zavok- circle around them and appear, the force that slammed into them turning out to be Zavok]_

Dr Eggman: At least… _[Metal Sonic grabs Sonic by the head and Shadow grabs Tails by the head roughly as Eggman leers above them, wickedly grinning.]_ It is for me.

_[Sonic and Tails panic for a moment before Shadow jerks Tails’ head upwards when he opens his mouth to speak, causing Tails to cry out in pain. Sonic’s face grows dark in anger as a response, using his currently dangling feet to push off of Metal Sonic’s body and somersault into a spin dash that knocks the robot backwards. He uses this momentum to leap upwards and land a kick on Shadow’s face, barely noticing the emptiness of his eyes and lack of reaction as he grabs Tails under the arms and begins to escape.]_

Dr. Eggman: Oh no you don’t! _[Eggman gestures to get them and Chaos slithers down the drain and rises above the two from another manhole in front of their path, Sonic barely dodging before swerving to avoid a clawed swipe from Metal and run sideways across a building as Shadow skates close behind.]_

Tails: Sonic, let go of me and hold on! _[Tails wriggles out of Sonic’s hold, beginning to fly and offering his hands as a grip.]_

_[Sonic grabs onto his arms and they take off, but Tails didn’t keep his exhaustion into account from the battle prior, panting and straining further as Metal Sonic blasts his way towards them and Tails zig-zags to avoid his wide arcs and swipes straining himself to go faster. A steel-toed boot kicks Tails’ side and he ricochets into a nearby building, the windows breaking as Sonic drops from his hold and is slammed on the pavement outside by a black blur. Tails is stuck laying among glass and hidden from the view of the other villains, unable to muster the energy to move any longer. Sonic is seen struggling to get to his feet, hurt by the fall to the street. A new figure- a black and white mobian with a threatening mask floats menacingly above him, tail and hair billowing in a nonexistent wind.]_

Infinite: Hmm. _[He hums in disinterest as the other villains catch up and stand to attention behind him, his one visible eye narrowed in appraisal. Sonic glares up at Infinite, flinching in pain.]_ For being the so-called ‘fastest thing alive’ and giving my benefactor so much trouble over the years, I thought you would be much less pathetic.

_[Unable to do much else, Tails takes out his Miles Electric and makes sure it’s recording all of the data it can, trying to get a read on the new threat and determine any weaknesses while Infinite speaks.]_

Sonic: Well, this isn’t exactly a fair matchup. _[Sonic stands up tall despite the pain, glaring up at Infinite.]_

Infinite: Life isn’t fair, rat. _[Infinite floats down to Sonic’s level in a flash, slamming him further into the cracks he already made from his previous impact.] And neither am I. [Infinite kicks Sonic in the head with a resounding crack. Sonic falls to the ground and Tails lets out an involuntary whimper as Sonic collapses. Infinite turns to where he is hiding, the one yellow eye staring directly where Tails is.]_

Dr. Eggman: Great work, Infinite! The world is now as good as mine for the taking!

_[Infinite hums and tilts his head to the side in acknowledgment, gaze not moving from Tails’ location.]_

Infinite: What about the fox kit?

_[Tails attempts to stay as still and quiet as he can, the Miles Electric still scanning Infinite and gaining information.]_

Dr Eggman: Don’t worry about finding him right now. We have annoyance and escape artist number one in our hands, and I’d rather contain and transport him than go fox hunting.

Infinite: Very well. _[Infinite finally turns away, giving one last cursory glance before leaving with Eggman and Sonic. Tails finally collapses on top of his device, tears escaping his eyes as the world around him fades to black.]_

[END SCENE]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Changes:  
> \- While the idea of the scene remains the same, I changed practically everything except for two or three lines.  
> -There is quite a bit more dialogue compared to before, and the cutscene is longer. I don't have to follow a budget.  
> \- Tails is not seen cowering with the townsfolk, but instead is doing his best to protect them despite knowing the odds are against him. Tails is also already a bit roughed up since he's been fighting robots until Sonic gets there. He also gets to be a little bit sassy.  
> \- Instead of the battle not moving from its place, it runs through a bit of the city before it ends. that way we can get some more dynamic action into the scene instead of Sonic being kicked around in a lackluster way with no feel of the movement or impact.  
> \- Tails gets into the fight instead of watching from a distance like a little wimp. He can fight. Let him fight. Also sorry, Tails, you get some physical pain now. Nobody is safe.  
> \- Infinite comes into the scene much later on as the catalyst of defeat, with a big reveal only AFTER we see the other familiar villains. He needs to show just how intimidating he is, and having him be the one to deliver the final blow in such a brutal way and having his own line while doing so should make more of an impression.  
> -The scene does not fade with Sonic passing out, but instead when Tails does. That way we have the whole spooky staredown with Infinite that should make him even more creepy and intimidating. Suspense while you see whether Tails will be captured as well or not.  
> \- Yes, the fact that Tails scans his biodata and energy readings with the Miles Electric WILL be important later on. :-))


	6. 003- A Hero Falls (Novelization Version)

The stakes were high, and the battleground was certainly not even.

Eggman had the advantage, and he knew it.

Tails tried to stand tall, rising up to his full height and glaring with all of his might at the man floating above him as the robots surrounded him.

Eggman’s chortling laugh burst through the sounds of machines and fire and the whimpering of the townsfolk behind Tails that were unable to be evacuated in time, closed off from escape by the machines that made a ring around all of them, weapons raised and ready to fire.

Tails knew that Eggman has the advantage to a very high degree and that everyone escaping without any kind of damage was an incredibly unlikely possibility until Sonic could get there. So, even if it was more his brother’s specialty than his own, Tails decided the best plan of action would be to stall.

“My newest scheme has begun!” Eggman yells above them all, gloating before he’s even won, as per usual.

“Are you going to elaborate on that or leave me in the dark here?” Tails bites back, displeasure evident in his tone.

“Hmph. I've learned my lesson on doing monologues for you vermin.” Eggman replies, a glint shining across his glasses, fully aware of Tails’ attempt to get him to reveal his plans.

Tails’ fangs peeked just a bit from his lips as he growled before looking Eggman in the eyes, disappointed that the maniacal speech where the plans were conveniently revealed wouldn’t come with just a little poke, never moving from his defensive posture in front of the civilians.

“So…” Tails began, feigning casualty despite the fire in his eyes. “Any reason you always attack the places Sonic or I happen to be on days where the weather is nice? It would be nice to have a day with sunny weather without the threat of laser beam showers.”

Eggman chuckles again before responding. “Well, us villains like nice weather to accompany our plans too, Tails. Show a little more respect.” The man’s hand gestures towards the robots surrounding him before they lift their weapons up, locking onto Tails and the civilians, a hum sounding throughout the air as Tails’ namesakes begin to twirl in aggravation at the situation.

“Oooh come on Sonic.. I could really use your help right now..” he mumbles as the weapons grow louder before the sound is interrupted by crashing metal and clanging parts, a blue blur bouncing off of each one surrounding them before uncurling to strike a pose next to Tails.

“You rang?” Sonic asks, one eyebrow raised and trademark smirk on his face as the civilians begin to make a run for it behind the two of them, escaping while the path is clear.

Tails sighs in relief before lightly pushing Sonic’s arm and snorting a small laugh, turning back to Eggman and assuming a fighting position next to his best friend.

“So the rat of the hour has finally arrived!” Eggman booms, his seeming lack of disappointment in the destruction of his bots not unnoticed by the two poised to fight in front of him.

“No matter,” he says in a dark tone, his grin growing impossibly wider, “I have a surprise just for you, hedgehog!”

“Oh, goody,” Sonic responds with a roll of the eyes. “And it isn’t even my birthday, Egghead.”

“Yes, but it is a cause for celebration,” Eggman continues, glasses glinting at the two mobians poised to retaliate once he finally makes a move.

A massive force slams into the two in a blur, hitting like an eighteen wheeler and sending them flying backwards into the ground. As the two begin to get up, all of the villains circle around them and appear, the force that slammed into them turning out to be Zavok.

“At least,” Eggman says as Metal Sonic grabs Sonic by the head and Shadow grabs Tails by the head as well. “It is for me.”

Sonic and Tails panic for a moment as they are picked up from the ground by their respective hair and quills, Tails yelping from the motion in pain as his head is yanked roughly.

If Sonic wasn’t pissed off and scared before, he sure is now.

Sonic uses his dangling feet to push off of Metal’s body and somersault into a spin dash faster than anyone can blink, for once not having time for small talk as he jumps and lands with a kick to Shadow’s face, barely noticing the emptiness of his eyes and lack of reaction as he grabs Tails under the arms and attempts to make a run for it with his brother in tow.

“Oh no you don’t!” Eggman yells, still smiling before Chaos slithers down the drain and rises above the two from another manhole in front of them, Sonic barely dodging the being before having to swerve to avoid a clawed swipe from Metal and run sideways across a building as Shadow skates not far behind.

“Sonic, let go of me and hold on!” Tails says as he wriggles out of Sonic’s hold during his mad dash, beginning to fly and offering his hands as a grip. “We only have to worry about two of them following if I fly us quick enough!”

Sonic grabs onto his arms and they take off, but Tails didn’t keep his exhaustion into account from the battle prior, panting and straining further as Metal Sonic blasts his way towards them and Tails zig-zags to avoid his wide arcs and swipes, straining himself to go faster, thinking to himself “just a little longer, please, you can do this, you can make it-”

A steel-toed boot lands into his side with a brutal kick and Tails ricochets into a nearby building, the windows breaking as Sonic drops from his hold and is slammed on the pavement outside by a black blur. Tails is stuck laying among glass and hidden from the view of the other villains, unable to muster the energy to move any longer. 

Much to his horror, Sonic is clearly struggling to even get on his feet, clearly hurt by the fall to the street. A new figure- a mysterious, black and white mobian with a metallic, threatening mask and the boots that had just jammed into his side floats menacingly above him, long tail and hair billowing in a nonexistent wind.

“Hmm.” The newcomer hums in disinterest as the other villains catch up and stand to attention behind him, his one visible eye narrowed in appraisal. Sonic glares up at the figure, his breaths harsh as he winces from the fall. 

“For being the so-called ‘fastest thing alive’ and giving my… benefactor so much trouble over the years, I thought you would be much less pathetic.” said Mobian continues, a deep voice resonating through the air.

Unable to do much else, Tails takes out his Miles Electric with a wince and makes sure it’s still recording all of the data it can, trying to get a read on the new threat and determine any weaknesses while the figure speaks, shaking fingers desperately tapping the screen.

“Well..” Sonic’s weak voice begins between gasps, “This isn’t exactly a fair matchup..” he slurs, still trying his best to stand strong after his plummet to the asphalt.

“Life isn’t fair, rat,” the mobian hisses in reply before going down to Sonic’s level and slamming him further into the cracks he already made from his previous impact.

“And neither am I.” he finishes, before kicking Sonic’s head with a sharp jerk, Sonic falling to the ground unconscious as Tails lets out a whimper before covering his mouth, the figure’s mask turning to the building he’s in while standing menacingly over the alarmingly still body of the Blue Blur.

“Great work, Infinite!” Eggman’s voice echoes in the midsummer day, the unknown figure, apparently named Infinite, still staring at building Tails is currently trapped in, gaze unwavering and cold. “The world is now as good as mine for the taking!”

Infinite’s only response is a hum and a slight tilt of the head in acknowledgement of the praise before he tilts his head imploringly to the side. “What about the fox kit?” his cold voice asks, emotionless but charged with a promise of harm, gaze still piercing Tails’ very soul as he attempts to stay as still as he can.

“Don’t worry about finding him right now,” Eggman replies, glee evident in his voice. “We have annoyance and escape artist number one in our hands right now, and I’d rather contain and transport him than go fox hunting.”

“Very well,” the deep voice of the monster of a mobian, the one who felled Tails’ best friend, echoes in Tail’s mind as he finally turns away, giving one last flicker of a cursory glance before turning and leaving with Sonic in tow. Tails’ vision blurs and he finally collapses on top of his device, tears escaping his eyes as the world around him fades to black.

And that, my friend...

..is how the war began.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This version was actually written before the script version. Also, none of this entire thing is really proofread per se, so if you see any glaring mistakes please let me know!
> 
> Ouch. I love suspense. Also Infinite is going to be more intimidating if I can do so. Hopefully.
> 
> All that power and malice comes at a price, and he'll be paying it in the future.


	7. 004- News Feed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Me? Add another new scene? Yes. I will be adding plenty more, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure if anyone reads this, but as usual, notes on changes or concepts at the end of the chapter.

_[The screen remains black, but chatter of all kinds can be heard. The faint sound of multiple people speaking at once grows louder, and you can begin to hear that the voices that overlap and intersect each other are a mix of news and status reports. The screen turns on similarly to how an old television does, flipping through channels frantically as news reports and propaganda pass by in a flurry of colors, symbols, and phrases.]_

_[The channel switches to a local news office near Sunset City.]_

News Reporter 1: There are massive amounts of reports of Eggman fleets attacking nearby Sunset City, evacuate and take cover in nearby areas if at all possible-

_[The channel switches to another news broadcast.]_

News Reporter 2: Panic rising as Eggman’s forces begin to take hold on South Island and there’s no sign of the blue blur-

_[The channel switches to Knuckles on a podium with other Resistance members behind him.]_

Knuckles: Join the resistance! Only you can help save our world-

_[The channel switches to another news station.]_

News Reporter 3: This just in- Westside Island has finally fallen to the Eggman Empire’s growing invasion-

_[The channel switches to the leaders of the Resistance, familiar faces surrounding Knuckles as they wave the Resistance flags above them. They all are chanting together in defiance, a large group of people beginning to chant with them.]_

Resistance Members: We are powerful! We are free! We will not be enslaved-

_[The screen becomes static and interrupts the Resistance chant with a menacing visage of Eggman with Infinite’s shadow behind him before words scroll across the glitching screen.]_

**EFFORT MEANS NOTHING IN THE FACE OF POWER**

_[Videos of burning cities are shown on another news broadcast as the channel switches again.]_

News Reporter 4: Resistance efforts have been futile against the oncoming force of the Eggman Empire-

_[The channel switches again.]_

News Reporter 5: The Resistance that brought hope to all with its powerful members and valiant efforts may not be enough-

_[The static is back, words on the screen sending a message in an angry red text once more.]_

**JOIN THE EGGMAN EMPIRE AND YOU MAY BE SPARED FROM IMMINENT DESTRUCTION**

_[The channel changes to one last news broadcast.]_

News Reporter 6: Is there any hope left for us? The world has fallen-

_[The screen grows dark and displays only static. There is now only the Eggman Empire propaganda or static on all of the channels. The silence otherwise feels oppressive and empty. The words that previously scrolled across the screen silently return, but are now joined by the heavily distorted voice of Infinite.]_

**JOIN OR PERISH**

**ANY RESISTANCE MEMBERS OR THOSE FOUND ASSOCIATING WITH RESISTANCE EFFORTS WILL BE TERMINATED**

**YOUR FEEBLE IDEA OF FREEDOM IS A MYTH**

**THERE IS ONLY ME**

_[Static continues to grow louder, almost painfully so before growing silent as the feed cuts off again, Eggman’s evil laugh echoing in the darkness.]_

Dr. Eggman: Ohohoho! Welcome to the Eggman Empire!

_[The title of the game appears on the black screen with a bang of the drums and a dramatic swell of horns that transitions to the Resistance theme, the camera zooming into the star of the logo. The star works almost like a portal- the emblem of the resistance turning blue and revealed to be part of a resistance flag as the camera zooms out, transitioning to the next scene.]_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is yet another completely original scene that was not in the game in any form. I came up with this concept as a "show, don't just tell" kind of idea. We are told later by Vector that the resistance is losing. We are told by everyone that hope is nearly lost. And yet, we see almost none of this.
> 
> More notes:  
> \- Infinite is a nameless figurehead of the Empire, but he's definitely got a strong ego himself.   
> \- Eggman started his takeover in Sunset City not long after capturing Sonic since he basically got the party started already. Tails did manage to escape at some point after he woke up.  
> \- We actually get to see a sort of propaganda-style thing with the resistance so that we have that feeling of wartime and recruitment against an oncoming force. Think of WWII. That kind of vibe.  
> \- The world is taken over by Eggman but it would take a lot of effort and time to show that in a more direct way. Newsfeeds in this fictional world help to inform the audience the same way they would their own people. It is a way to lay the foundation of what's coming next without too much at once.   
> \- We can deduce that Knuckles is the leader and know key members of the Resistance before we truly even see them in-game.  
> \- There's no longer white text on a black screen for exposition and opening. That's boring. We don't want boring in a wartime narrative. Also, silence is only good when used correctly.  
> \- Big logo reveal baby! We have a dramatic superhero-movie style showing of the name for a game-opening. Trying to set a darker tone and make an impact. The evil laugh and statement followed by drums and horns seemed fun to me.


	8. 005- Enter the Avatar

_[The camera zooms out of the Resistance flag to show a small town burning around it in the desert. All sorts of debris float in the wind on the streets and the camera follows the movement of one specific piece of paper that’s labeled as a wanted poster. The camera zooms into this poster as the scene freezes, and the character creation screen appears.]_

_[Enter character creation screen]_

_[After the player is done with the character creation, the camera zooms out of the poster to show a mugshot of said character. The scene unfreezes, and the poster is whisked away by the wind once more, passing by a standoff between Infinite and Avatar. Infinite has his back turned and Avatar looks strangely hopeful despite the destruction around them. Avatar begins to walk closer and reach out to Infinite. We see the scene in first person from the Avatar’s perspective temporarily and the form of Infinite flashes and gains a dream-like quality, what appears to be an unmasked version of him giving a kind but mischievous smile to the camera before reality is thrown back into sharp relief and the masked jackal turns to Avatar and glares with a cold, calculating eye. The perspective changes and we see Avatar recoil and their face goes from hopeful, to hesitant, to a look of pure dread as Infinite stalks closer with a growl. Avatar shakes and tries to hold onto their wispon in fear.]_

Infinite: Hmph. What a fool. Why didn’t you shoot me, hmm?

_[Avatar’s face blanches further as they begin to back up, tripping on a stray piece of concrete and falling backward. The wispon they hold tumbles from their grasp in their shock before they try to grab it again, Infinite’s boot stomping on the outstretched hand as Avatar lets out a pained gasp.]_

Infinite: Pitiful! What a pitiful fool you are! An ant to crush beneath my boot.

_[Infinite roughly grabs Avatar’s head as they refuse to look at him, his clawed glove grasping the bottom of Avatar’s chin as he stares into Avatar’s eyes.]_

Infinite: Look at me when I am speaking, insolent whelp! _[Avatar flinches as Infinite digs his claws in further. Infinite chuckles darkly.]_ I can taste your terror, child. All that anxiety and doubt... It's delicious. _[Infinite growls in satisfaction before letting Avatar go, dropping Avatar to the ground as he stands above them.]_ I’ll make you a deal, whelp. Your terror entertains me. Give in to your fear. Flee, screaming, and I might just let you live. Here- I’ll even give you a little head start. 

_[There is a seamless transition into the new level through a quicktime event, Infinite, rising slowly with a menacing chuckle as the Avatar scrambles to their feet when the level begins along with a level title.]_

_[NEW LEVEL- Avatar Tutorial Level- Desert Town Desertion.]_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- I moved the scene where the Avatar is threatened by Infinite to the present day and made a level out of escaping from him as the Avatar's tutorial level afterward.  
> \- Yes, the Avatar is, in fact, a wanted criminal for reasons we will learn later. And they have a past with Infinite before he became Infinite.  
> \- I kept the most notable lines of the flashback scene and added them here. If there's one thing I liked about the original story, it was just how over the top and edgy of a villain Infinite is.  
> \- I have added more dialogue. I feel like Infinite is exactly the kind of condescending egotist that would call someone a whelp. Also he gets in closer quarters and actually grabs the Avatar instead of just floating in front of him. Perhaps he sees something familiar, hmm?  
> \- "let me get a good sniff of you little boy-"  
> \- Infinite is creepy, 'nuff said.  
> \- I will be trying to keep the Avatar fairly neutral so that the player would be able to make up their own concepts, personalities, and ideas tied to them, but I will be giving them more of a backstory and history despite this. They'll have a little bit more spunk and personality that will be shown and they won't be an entirely blank slate.


	9. Links and Other Content

In order to expand on this project with more than just stage lines and cutscenes, I have created a Tumblr for everything that is not the script itself. Here there will be informational posts, concept art, new character designs, expansion on new features and levels, and more.

It can be found at https://sonicforcesredux.tumblr.com/

Any other links related to the project will also be posted on this page.

Thank you for reading!


End file.
